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Portrait unavailable. General BJJ illustration; not a likeness of this person.Illustration: The BJJ Story

Elijah Amir Dorsey

“Big Breakfast”

Source: bjjheroes.com

Elijah Dorsey grew from Team Lloyd Irvin’s youth program into a black-belt champion with major gi titles and two ADCC quarterfinal appearances.

Biography

Elijah Amir Dorsey grew up inside Team Lloyd Irvin's youth system before choosing jiu-jitsu as his profession at nineteen. Known as “Big Breakfast,” the Maryland-born black belt has since won major gi titles and reached ADCC quarterfinals in both his weight division and the open class. Dorsey was born in Annapolis, Maryland, in 2001 and grew up in nearby Upper Marlboro. Sport filled his school years: he played football, baseball and basketball and ran track. A summer camp introduced him to Muay Thai and self-defense at six. He then entered Team Lloyd Irvin's youth program and joined Donald Achnick's jiu-jitsu class at seven. Football remained important even as jiu-jitsu took more of his attention. Dorsey advanced into the team's higher-level youth program, and his first juvenile Pan Championship came in ninth grade, when he won bronze. Pan and World titles followed as he progressed through the colored belts. The nickname came from his appetite: according to his BJJ Heroes profile, people called him Big Breakfast because he would finish food others had left after his own meal. Dorsey has described the COVID-19 pandemic as the point when training became a career decision. At nineteen, the disruption gave him time to consider what he wanted to do with his life, and he chose to pursue jiu-jitsu professionally. The decision extended a long development within one academy rather than beginning a new one. The room around him included Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor, Angelo Claiborne, Malachi Edmond, Cory Skywalker, Corey Dorsey and Quinton Dixon, as well as children coming through the academy. In early 2023, Dorsey described a competitive environment and said he expected to appear alongside those teammates on major stages. After winning the Pan Championship at brown belt, he was promoted to black belt in June 2022. His first major black-belt test also became his first journey outside the United States. At the 2023 European Championship, Dorsey took bronze after a semifinal loss to Andy Murasaki. He later said those early black-belt events taught him more than technique: he had to learn time management, match strategy and how to conduct himself professionally away from the mat. The 2023 Orlando Summer Open showed the range of his finishes. Competing at lightweight and in the open class, where athletes of different weights can meet, Dorsey submitted four opponents in four matches. He used an ankle lock, toe hold, bow-and-arrow choke and armbar to win his first black-belt double gold. He said he had repeatedly been told not to pass up a submission when it was available. Later matches also showed the other side of his game. At the 2026 Pan Championship, the IBJJF described the middleweight final as a meeting between Dorsey's athletic passing and Tainan Dalpra's guard play. Passing is the attempt to get around an opponent's legs and establish control; guard play uses those legs to manage distance and create attacks from underneath. Dalpra swept directly to mount in the opening three minutes and won by nine points. Between those events, Dorsey produced results in both major forms of the sport. He won the 2023 ADCC East Coast Trials at 77 kilograms to qualify for the 2024 ADCC World Championship, and he became the 2024 European black-belt lightweight champion in the gi. At the 2025 Brasileiros, he submitted three opponents before losing a fast-paced middleweight final on points to Dalpra. The IBJJF called it the best tournament of Dorsey's career to that point. His role at Team Lloyd Irvin has also extended beyond his own bracket. The official schedule for the 2026 Jiu-Jitsu Con listed Dorsey and Malachi Edmond as the scheduled instructors for the team's seminar. At the 2026 ADCC Championship, Dorsey reached two quarterfinals. In the under-77-kilogram division, he submitted Mateusz Gamrot at 8:51 in the round of sixteen before Mateusz Szczecinski advanced from their quarterfinal after a 0–0 points result. Dorsey also entered the absolute bracket, defeating Daniel Manasoiu 2–0 before eventual bronze medalist Ruslan Abdulaev submitted him at 7:05 in the quarterfinal.

Sources for this profile

  • BJJ Heroes, “Elijah Dorsey” (complete rendered profile; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Elijah Amir Dorsey was born on 9 September 2001 in Annapolis, Maryland, and grew up in nearby Upper Marlboro.

      Where in the source: Elijah Dorsey Jiu-Jitsu and Biography — identity, birth and childhood location

      Accessed:

    • Dorsey's nickname, Big Breakfast, arose from his appetite and his habit of finishing other people's uneaten food after his own meal.

      Where in the source: Elijah Dorsey Jiu-Jitsu — nickname

      Accessed:

    • As a child, Dorsey played football, baseball and basketball and ran track. A summer camp introduced him to Muay Thai and self-defence at age six; he then entered Team Lloyd Irvin's youth program and joined Donald Achnick's jiu-jitsu class at seven.

      Where in the source: Biography — childhood sports, summer camp and Donald Achnick

      Accessed:

    • Dorsey said the COVID-19 pandemic became the turning point in his decision to pursue jiu-jitsu professionally at age nineteen because it gave him time to reflect on what he wanted to do with his life.

      Where in the source: Biography — decision to turn professional

      Accessed:

  • Danny O'Donnell, “Elijah Dorsey Looks To Test Himself Against Elite Lightweights At Grand Prix,” IBJJF, 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • Dorsey developed through Team Lloyd Irvin's kids program and accumulated Pan and World titles as a colored belt. After winning the Pan Championship at brown belt, he was promoted to black belt in June 2022.

      Where in the source: Opening athlete background — youth program and June 2022 promotion

      Accessed:

    • At the 2023 European Championship, Dorsey made his black-belt major debut and took bronze after losing the semifinal to Andy Murasaki. He described the event as his first trip outside the United States and said the early black-belt competitions taught him time management, strategy and professionalism away from the mat.

      Where in the source: 2023 Europeans and Dorsey's reflections on black-belt competition

      Accessed:

    • Dorsey identified Shane Jamil Hill-Taylor, Angelo Claiborne, Malachi Edmond, Cory Skywalker, Corey Dorsey, Quinton Dixon and the academy's children as his main training partners in early 2023. He described a competitive room and said he expected to appear alongside those teammates on major stages.

      Where in the source: Team Lloyd Irvin training room — named training partners

      Accessed:

  • Danny O'Donnell, “Orlando Summer International Open Results: Elijah Dorsey Wins First Double Gold At Black Belt,” IBJJF, 23 July 2023.(opens in a new tab)

    • Dorsey won his first black-belt double gold at the July 2023 Orlando Summer Open, submitting all four opponents across lightweight and the open class with an ankle lock, toe hold, bow-and-arrow choke and armbar. He said he had repeatedly been told not to pass up available submissions.

      Where in the source: Elijah Dorsey Wins First Double Gold — complete four-match account

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, “Athlete Results: Elijah Dorsey” (rendered athlete ranking record; accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • The IBJJF athlete record lists Dorsey as the 2024 European black-belt lightweight champion.

      Where in the source: Adult Grand Slam — Light — European IBJJF 2024, first place

      Accessed:

  • Gold BJJ, “Elijah Dorsey: Jiu Jitsu Athlete Profile” (accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • Dorsey qualified for the 2024 ADCC World Championship by winning the 2023 ADCC East Coast Trials at 77 kilograms.

      Where in the source: Opening profile and noteworthy titles — 2023 East Coast Trials

      Accessed:

  • Danny O'Donnell, “Inside the 2025 Brasileiros,” IBJJF, 6 May 2025.(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2025 Brasileiros, Dorsey submitted three opponents before losing a high-paced middleweight final on points to Tainan Dalpra. The IBJJF called it the best tournament of Dorsey's career to that point.

      Where in the source: AOJ Tops Adult Black Belt Medal Count In Brazil — middleweight final

      Accessed:

  • Kaelan Crisosto, “2026 Pans Black Belt | Male Champions,” IBJJF, 2 April 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • Dorsey reached the middleweight final at the 2026 Pan Championship. The recap contrasted his athletic passing with Tainan Dalpra's guard play; Dalpra swept directly to mount in the opening three minutes and ultimately won by nine points.

      Where in the source: Male Middleweight — Dorsey–Dalpra final

      Accessed:

  • IBJJF, “2026 Jiu-Jitsu Con Official Seminar Schedule” (accessed 13 September 2026).(opens in a new tab)

    • At the 2026 Jiu-Jitsu Con, Dorsey and Malachi Edmond were scheduled as the instructors for Team Lloyd Irvin's seminar, showing Dorsey in a public teaching role alongside his competition career.

      Where in the source: Team Lloyd Irvin seminar — instructors Elijah Dorsey and Malachi Edmond

      Accessed:

  • R. R. Ellis, “ADCC 2026 Results: Full Brackets, Champions And Medal Winners,” FloGrappling, 13 September 2026.(opens in a new tab)

    • In the complete 2026 ADCC minus-77-kilogram bracket, Dorsey submitted Mateusz Gamrot at 8:51 in the round of sixteen before Mateusz Szczecinski advanced from their quarterfinal by a 0–0 points result.

      Where in the source: ADCC 2026 Day 1 Results — -77kg round of 16 and quarterfinals

      Accessed:

    • Dorsey also entered the 2026 ADCC absolute bracket, where he beat Daniel Manasoiu 2–0 in the round of sixteen and was submitted by eventual bronze medalist Ruslan Abdulaev at 7:05 in the quarterfinal.

      Where in the source: ADCC Absolute Bracket 2026 — round of 16, quarterfinal and final placements

      Accessed:

  • Oscar Pereira, “Elijah Dorsey - An Exceptional BJJ Grappler,” Elite Sports, 5 January 2024.(opens in a new tab)

    • Dorsey retained a strong interest in football while his commitment to jiu-jitsu grew through Team Lloyd Irvin's advanced youth program; the profile places his first juvenile Pan Championship in ninth grade, where he earned bronze.

      Where in the source: BJJ Career — football, advanced kids program and first juvenile Pans

      Accessed:

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